Infectious Diseases Research Lab

The Office of Graduate  Affairs

Tour an infectious disease lab working on advancing therapeutic strategies and public health planning for diseases such as dengue.

Ross Hall

Meet outside Ross Hall 10 minutes before tour time, please. Our laboratory is a translational infectious diseases research lab, meaning that we integrate clinical research with laboratory-based immunology and diagnostic evaluation to directly impact patient care and public health decision-making. We focus primarily on arboviral diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, as well as emerging and high-consequence respiratory pathogens. A central component of our work is understanding host immune responses and early biomarkers of disease severity. In dengue, for example, clinical deterioration often occurs after the initial febrile phase. Through prospective cohort studies and outbreak-based enrollment (such as our FEVER study), we analyze early-phase samples to identify immunological and inflammatory markers that may predict progression to severe disease. Our goal is to improve early risk stratification and resource allocation during epidemics. In parallel, we conduct randomized controlled clinical trials addressing therapeutic strategies. In the ZAP-DENGUE trial, we evaluate whether zanamivir may reduce vascular permeability and prevent plasma leakage, a key mechanism of severe dengue. In the MARCH Phase III clinical trial, we study methotrexate for chronic inflammatory arthritis following chikungunya infection, while simultaneously investigating immunopathologic mechanisms in affected tissues. We also actively participate in prospective multicenter clinical evaluations of advanced multiplex diagnostic platforms developed by BioFire Defense, including the SPOTFIRE Warrior Panel and the Emerging Coronavirus (ECoV) Panel. These systems use multiplex nucleic acid detection technology capable of simultaneously identifying multiple viral and bacterial pathogens from a single clinical specimen. Our role includes specimen processing, performance evaluation, and supporting regulatory-grade data generation for in vitro diagnostic validation. Technologies Used in Our Laboratory: • MSD (Meso Scale Discovery) multiplex immunoassay platforms for simultaneous quantification of multiple cytokines and immune mediators • ELISA-based serological assays for antibody detection and inflammatory marker analysis • BioFire multiplex molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and evaluation of diagnostic accuracy • Clinical specimen processing, plasma/serum biobanking, and cold-chain management • Translational biomarker profiling linking clinical phenotypes with laboratory immune signatures Through this integration of clinical trials, outbreak surveillance, immunological profiling, and diagnostic innovation, our lab aims to strengthen outbreak preparedness, improve early disease detection, and advance therapeutic strategies in global infectious diseases.

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Infectious Diseases Research Lab

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